Top Congress leaders were present at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters where Sonia and Rahul flagged off 24 truckloads of relief supplies in addition to the 125 trucks already sent to Dehradun.

This was Rahul Gandhi's first appearance since the natural calamity struck Uttarakhand as he was abroad.

Last week, the Congress had downplayed the absence of Rahul Gandhi, who was reportedly out of the country when the tragedy struck Uttarakhand, adding the party's top leadership, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and chief Sonia Gandhi, were monitoring the rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit hill state.